


The Dance

by Softlight



Category: RWBY
Genre: Blake In A Suit, F/F, Happy Birthday Defence!, Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:40:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26198755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softlight/pseuds/Softlight
Summary: Yang spun around, her dress spinning out with her, and she gave herself a moment to close her eyes and catch her breath.  How was she going to do another four years of this?  How was she going to do another four years of watching and waiting and wishing and knowing that she shouldn’t?  How was she going to keep loving her in this endless silence?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 6
Kudos: 108





	The Dance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, Defence! <3

Yang sipped on her punch, tapping her foot in time to the beat as she surveyed the dance floor. Ruby and Weiss were already dancing and had tried dragging her out when they had left her for the dancefloor a few minutes earlier, but she had opted to stay and wait for Blake. Blake, who was currently twenty minutes late. Blake, who had refused to show her what her dress looked like and was leaving her in agony waiting. Blake, who would be there soon, hopefully.

She checked her Scroll again for the fifth time in a minute, scrolling through her and Blake’s messages. Mostly pleading on Yang’s part for Blake to show her her dress. It was prom, how dare Blake not show Yang her dress? But a part of her was glad, glad she didn’t have a picture to obsess over and sigh at. Having a picture wouldn’t lessen the blow of Blake’s beauty when she showed up, even if it would’ve helped her prepare to keep her feelings to herself.

Another sip of punch. 

It was fine. She had feelings, and she acknowledged those feelings, and it was enough. It was fine because it had to be fine. Blake was her best friend, and she wasn’t going to mess this up. She couldn’t. Not even if four years of hiding her feelings had killed her. Not even if the prospect of another four years of hiding how she felt was going to obliterate her. Not even if she wanted to tell her more than she wanted to breathe.

“Hey, Yang.”

Yang slowly turned around, and her mouth went dry. Blake’s dark hair was pulled into a curly ponytail that was currently pulled over her shoulder, and her ears were relaxed against her scalp. She wore an easy but shy smile glossed a precious pink the same color as her cheeks, and there were wisps of hair framing her face. She looked beautiful as always, but tonight, tonight Blake was shining, glowing, radiant. But her face wasn’t what stopped Yang in her tracks, although it may as well have.

Blake was wearing a crisp black suit jacket and matching pants that hit her at the ankles, showing off her black and white lace up shoes. The pants were tight enough for Yang to clearly see the outline of her legs, tight enough for her to see every flicker of her muscles as she shifted, tight enough for Yang to understand why it was such a big deal when women started wearing pants. Yang’s eyes trailed back up her body to reveal a simple white button down and a black bow tie. It was a simple outfit, simple and stunning and entirely Blake.

Yang forced herself to swallow, forced her jaw to close and weakly said, “Hey. You, um, you look good.”  _ Smooth, Yang _ . 

But Blake smiled at her, and her smile lit up the whole room. “You too,” she said, and her voice was silky and smooth and somehow just audible over the blaring music. Yang’s face heated, even though a part of her knew that it was just Blake being polite. Blake adjusted her jacket lapel, and Yang found herself stepping closer. “Sorry I’m late. Dad wanted to take a thousand pictures, and then we got caught up in traffic.” 

“You’re fine,” she heard herself say. She flashed Blake her signature smile, even though her heart was racing in her chest and her palms felt sweaty. “Do you wanna dance?” she asked, jerking her chin toward Ruby and Weiss on the dancefloor. 

Blake nodded, and Yang couldn’t stop the grin that exploded out over her face. She grabbed her hand, still soft with what she knew had to be Blake’s usual vanilla honey lotion, and pulled her onto the dancefloor with a laugh, barely able to keep herself from tripping over her heels. Later, she would take them off. Later, she would force herself to forget the feeling of Blake’s skin. Later, she would do what was best for herself. But right now, she would do whatever she wanted.

The two of them squeezed through the jumping bodies, and Yang didn’t let go of her hand until they were with Ruby and Weiss. She could barely hear over the music and her pounding heart, but she saw Blake’s same spectacular smile as Ruby’s and Weiss’s mouth opened, and her heart died a little in her chest. Right. Because that’s what friends did. Friends compliment one another, and it wasn’t special that Blake smiled like the sun when Yang told her how beautiful or smart she was because it was just friendship. 

Yang threw herself into the music, bouncing up and down to the beat and swaying and screaming the lyrics out of her throat. She tried to lose herself to the melody, but her eyes kept getting drawn back to Blake, dancing with her hands above her head and her eyes closed but her mouth never stopping in its movements as she sang. Above the music and everyone singing around her, it was hard to pick out her voice, but Yang listened as she sang.

Blake looked free. She looked happy and herself and free.

Yang spun around, her dress spinning out with her, and she gave herself a moment to close her eyes and catch her breath. How was she going to do another four years of this? How was she going to do another four years of watching and waiting and wishing and knowing that she shouldn’t? How was she going to keep loving her in this endless silence?

She came to a stop and smiled at Blake, but her eyes were hot. Blake reached for her, and then they were dancing, side by side, and Yang was spinning underneath her arm and touching her hands, her waist, and she wanted to know how her hair would feel between her fingers. She wanted to know how soft those lips would feel, she wanted to know what her blush would feel like against her cheeks, she wanted, she wanted, she wanted.

But she kept dancing. 

So what if her hands lingered and missed Blake the moment they parted? So what if her eyes kept darting back to the Faunus in all her glory? So what if her heart panged everytime someone else made Blake laugh? So what? 

The dance was over somewhere between an instant and an eternity, and they all piled into her car after it was over. It was odd driving in such a full skirted dress, and Weiss and Ruby kept arguing about directions, but she miraculously managed to get them to the diner in one piece. The four of them piled out and dragged themselves up the diner and got themselves seated. It was eleven at night on a Thursday, and besides them, there were just couples and a few exhausted looking families. 

Yang sat down next to Weiss and directly across from Blake as she skimmed through the menu. “Why do you even look?” Weiss asked as she opened her own menu. “You get the same thing every time.”

Yang stuck her tongue out at her before shrugging. “Just in case I change my mind,” she said. “And I want to be sure I’m getting what I want. Maybe something else will appeal to me.”

Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes, and handed out the rest of the menus to their group. Ruby was yawning, and her hair was a floofy mess around her but still very cute and very much her sister’s style. Weiss, miraculously, still looked perfect without a hair out of place, and her makeup hadn’t moved at all. Blake had rolled up her suit jacket sleeves at some point on the ride over, and sweat had glued down stray strands of hair to her forehead. Her mouth had faded to its natural pink, the rose clinging to the outer edges of her lips to create something like an ombre effect. Her cheeks were still flushed from dancing, and Yang’s heart skipped a beat as Blake looked up over the menu and smiled at her. 

“What’re you thinking about getting?” Yang asked, folding her menu. Weiss was right, she already knew what she was getting.

“I’m thinking about a shake and mozzarella sticks, but I’m not sure if I’m hungry enough,” Blake said, her eyes dropping back down to the menu. 

“We could split?” Yang suggested. 

Blake shook her head. “No, I’d feel bad,” Blake said.

“Why?” Yang snorted.

“I don’t know, I just would.” 

“What’ll it be for everyone?” their waitress asked, sliding up to their table with a bright smile that had Yang blinking. It was too late at night for that kind of energy, so she had to wonder how much coffee she had consumed. 

“Can I please have pancakes?” Ruby asked between yawns. “Chocolate chip, if you have!” The waitress nodded, not looking up from her notepad. 

“I’ll have a grilled cheese,” Weiss said, folding up the crazy large menu and stacking the one Ruby gave her on the top. 

“And for you two?” the waitress asked.

“May I please have a strawberry milkshake?” Blake asked. She handed her menu to Weiss, who neatly stacked them. 

“And I’ll take a strawberry milkshake and an order of mozzarella sticks, please,” Yang said, sending Blake a smile. Blake rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, and that was what mattered. “Thanks.”

The waitress scribbled on her notepad and took the menus from Weiss before nodding cheerfully. “We’ll get right on that!” she said, her ponytail snapping behind her in her wake.

Weiss sighed beside her. “Called it.”

Yang shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “Hey, I got mozz sticks,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, because Blake wanted them.”

“I wanted them too!” she said, although her cheeks flushed. She straightened her shoulders and took a drink of her water. “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll be right back,” Blake said, abruptly standing and sliding out of the booth. Her Scroll was clutched in her hands, and her face was pale. 

“Blake-” she began, but Blake was already halfway to the door and stalking for the outside. Yang swallowed hard and turned back to Weiss and Ruby only to meet their curious gazes. “What?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“You know what,” Weiss said, raising her brow. 

“No, I don’t,” she gritted.

“It’s prom, Yang,” Ruby said softly. “You’re both graduating in three weeks. If not now, when?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“We’re talking about how you’ve been pining for Blake for four years and you’re about to let yourself keep pining for another four years!” Weiss snapped. “If you won’t tell her how you feel for your sake, do it for ours, because we can’t take another second of seeing your sad puppy dog face when you think you don’t have a chance with her, when you do!”

“I don’t!” she said. 

“You can’t know until you tell her!” Ruby countered. Her sister yawned once more, and she sleepily said, “You need to tell her.”

“I’m fine!” she said. 

Weiss jerked her chin towards the outside. “Go tell her,” she said coolly. 

“Not gonna happen,” she said. “I can’t- I can’t lose her.”

Weiss’s face softened ever so slightly. “You won’t.”

“How do you know that?” Yang asked, blowing her hair out of her face with a sharp breath. “How?”

“Because this can only go so many ways,” Weiss said. “Either she likes you back and you start dating and it’s great, or she doesn’t like you back and you work through it. And I know the two of you will work through it, Yang.” Weiss smiled. “So tell her.”

Yang looked back and forth between Ruby and Weiss before sighing. “If this goes badly-”

“It won’t.”

Yang’s throat bobbed, and she took a gulp of water before standing up and shaking her hands out. “Okay. Okay.” She nodded, and she smoothed her dress out. “How do I look?”

“Great!” Ruby chirped. She flapped her hands. “Go!”

Yang inhaled sharply and turned on her heel and made for the exit. She searched the area for Blake to see her standing by the fountain they had tossed countless coins into over the years. Yang swallowed hard, and she made her way over there. “Hey,” she said, her voice too high and too loud.

Blake stiffened before turning around. “Hey,” she said, and her voice was soft and wobbly. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Just wanted to make sure you were okay,” she said. She shifted her weight between her feet, scratching the back of her neck. “You okay?” Blake looked away from her. Her profile was illuminated in the moonlight, and her chest tightened as Blake’s eyes glowed golden as they caught the light. There were slivers of silver at the bottom of her eyes, though, and Yang’s heart stopped as she realized they were tears. “Blake?”

“I thought I could do this,” she said softly. Soft enough that Yang could barely hear her over the light breeze. 

“Do what?” Her stomach churned. “What are you talking about?”

Blake’s eyes closed, and the silver streamed down her cheeks. “I thought I could do this,” she repeated. “But I can’t.” Blake turned to her, and her eyes were filled with sorrow. “I can’t do it, Yang.” Blake stepped closer to her, and her face was filled with sorrow. “I’m sorry, I thought I could, but I can’t, and-”

“Blake,” she interrupted, stepping closer. “What are you talking about?”

Blake’s throat bobbed. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Yang said. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m in love with you.” Yang’s jaw went slack, but Blake winced, as if she had hit her. “I know you don’t love me, not in that way, and that’s okay, Yang. That’s okay.” Blake shook her head, as if she was trying to convince herself of that. “No, it’s not, but I want it to be. I can make it okay, because I want to be in your life, but I can’t keep living like this and hiding how I feel about you.”

“Blake-” Her throat closed up. “You love me?” The tension that had been holding her together for the past four years snapped and turned to slack, and she was left barely able to think. 

Blake nodded, and there was a heartbreaking smile on her face. “I do,” she said. “And I know you don’t feel the same way! That’s okay, I just- I couldn’t keep it inside anymore.” Blake’s brow furrowed with worry. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she managed. “I love you.” Her throat thickened, and a noise she couldn’t control hiccuped out of her throat as she stepped closer to Blake, crossing the invisible barrier into her personal space. “I love you,” she repeated, bowing her head down to look at Blake. She smiled, and her eyes became hot with tears. 

But Blake shook her head. “Don’t,” she said, drawing back and holding herself in her arms. “You don’t have to lie to me. You can’t, I can’t take it.”

“I’m not lying,” she said. Blake eyed her warily, and Yang let out a sharp breath that sounded like a laugh. “Blake, I was about to come out here and tell you I loved you. You can ask Weiss and Ruby, that’s literally what I came out here to do.” She shook her head and met Blake’s teary gaze. “I love you. I’ve been in love with you for the past four years, and tonight has been complete and utter agony because I knew I couldn’t take another four years of this.” She tentatively reached for Blake, and when she didn’t recoil, she grabbed her hand. “I can’t take another four years of loving you in silence.”

“Four years?” Blake repeated, her voice a hoarse whisper.

Yang nodded. “At least,” she admitted. “It may be longer, but I only realized it four years ago.” She wet her mouth, suddenly aware of the heat in her cheeks. “I want to be with you, Blake.” Yang hesitated, but she added, “And we don’t have to date, Blake. We don’t- you don’t have to do anything. I just needed to tell you, I guess.”

“I want to be with you too,” Blake whispered, squeezing her hand.

Yang’s heart skipped a beat, and she broke out into a dumb grin. “Cool,” she said, her smile only growing. Blake laughed, and Yang pressed their foreheads together. “That’s really, really cool.” She looked down at Blake and kissed the tip of her nose. 

“You can kiss me, you know,” Blake said, her nose scrunched up as Yang’s lips left. 

“Are you sure?” she asked, biting her lip. “Because I don’t know how, or what I’m doing, and I want to do it right-”

“Yang,” Blake interrupted with a soft smile. “Please kiss me.”

Yang took a long stare at Blake. At her glowing golden eyes, at her silken midnight hair, at her rosy red mouth. She nodded, and she slowly leaned in, softly pressing her lips to that rosy mouth and sighing as she did. Her lips were soft as petals and warm as the perfect cup of tea, and Yang’s heart throbbed as she realized what she was doing. She was kissing Blake. She was  _ kissing _ Blake. She was kissing  _ Blake _ .

She drew back and smiled, biting her lip. Blake’s eyes opened, and they were burning with delight. “That was nice,” Yang said softly. “That was really nice.”

“We should do it again sometime,” Blake said, mischief gleaming bright in her eyes.

Yang laughed, and she realized they were still holding hands. She swung their hands back and forth between them, her dumb smile resuming its residence over her face. “I love you,” she said, and maybe she was naive. Maybe she was too young and too dumb to know what love was, maybe she didn’t understand love, maybe she was going too fast.

But Blake loved her. And that was all that mattered.


End file.
